Health researchers are hoping an ambitious new study will change what they say are unfair blood donation rules for gay and bisexual men.
Over the next eight weeks, the University of Auckland-led Sex and Prevention of Transmission Study (SPOTS) aims to gather data from 4000 gay, bisexual, takatāpui and other men who have sex with men (MSM) through an online survey and optional dried blood spot test, .rnz.co.nz reports.
The researchers will use the data to estimate what proportion of sexually transmitted infections are undiagnosed.
New Zealand Blood Service has rules that men are unable to donate blood within three months of having sex with another man. Are you on PrEP you need to be off it at least three months, to be able to donate blood.
Lead investigator Dr Peter Saxton said to .rnz.co.nz, people find these New Zealand Blood Service rules «discriminatory, unscientific, and unjustified» – partly because all blood donations are screened for transmissible infections.
